By way of example, a method and device may be used, in the case of internal combustion engines and combustion systems for power generation, for monitoring and keeping a check on a combustion process in the internal combustion engine or in the combustion system. As part of the combustion process, coal particles are burned in at least one combustion chamber. To realize an optimized combustion process, or a combustion process that may be advantageous with regard to the occurrence of pollutants, the homogeneity of the mass concentration of the coal particles that are fed to the combustion chamber over time may play an important part.
The coal particles are fed to the combustion chamber (e.g., by a gas flow, in particular an air flow in which the coal particles are taken up). Inhomogeneities of the mass concentration in the gas flow may occur due to different mechanical and flow-dynamic effects (e.g., manifested as increased concentrations of dust of the coal particles locally within a flow pipe of the gas flow). Such inhomogeneities with regard to the distribution of the mass concentration of the coal particles in the gas flow are undesired and should be detected, so that as a consequence countermeasures may be taken (e.g., to avoid such inhomogeneities).